Social media is one of the hottest topics in marketing and advertising today—and for good reason: there are great, unmined opportunities for brands.

If you want to know what the experts are up to, if you want to carve out a niche for yourself as a social media specialist, then register now for the IAB Social Media Marketplace, taking place May 18 in New York. Industry leaders from national brands, top agencies and major publishers will be there to share their insights on the platform and provide the best practices for leveraging social media.

Featured Presenters:

Josh Bernoff
Vice President,
Principal Analyst,
Forrester ResearchCoauthor of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

A Meeting of the Long Tail Alliance on Capitol Hill: Be Part of the IAB Small Publisher Fly-In

Entrepreneurs are changing the online landscape by creating websites that reflect their passions and interests, and in the process they are achieving the American dream. These small business people are providing American consumers with thousands of new websites full of information, news and entertainment—and they are doing it because they can obtain online advertising to support their pursuits. The IAB has created an opportunity for them to share their successes and advocate for the industry at large in front of Congress. Their story, and the story of how interactive advertising impacts life and the broader U.S. economy, is an important one.

The IAB invites Long Tail Alliance members and others in the long-tail community to the Small Publisher Fly-In, taking place in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 9, and Wednesday, June 10.
During the two-day event, attendees will:

Talk to Congressmen, telling their unique stories

Meet with industry leaders

Share personal experiences of how interactive advertising has changed their life

The Fly-In also includes a press conference at the National Press Club, where some important new research will be released as well as a newsworthy video from the IAB that puts a human face on the long tail.

As a thank-you, each participant will receive a complimentary one-year IAB Long Tail Alliance membership to the IAB or a one-year extension to their existing membership. Learn more »

Fending Off Adverse Legislation and Regulation:IAB Pubic Policy and You

The IAB is committed to promoting the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policy makers, helping fend off adverse legislation and regulation—and to helping our members focus their attention on the issues that impact them directly. Our Public Policy staff, located in Washington, D.C., works tirelessly to protect the interests of our member companies, ensuring their collective voice and the voice of the entire industry, is heard on hot topics such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, proposed changes to the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising and state issues such as the recent New York and Massachusetts legislation introduced to regulate online advertising. Learn more about the active role that the IAB’s Public Policy office has taken to protect your interests.

Making the Web a Showcase for Advertising Creativity, and more...

Evangelism and education are important aspects of the IAB’s work. IAB President and CEO Randall Rothenberg recently wrote a Creative Manifesto demanding that creatives take ownership of the art of interactive advertising and develop emotionally resonant, culturally significant and successful interactive advertising campaigns. Tremendous industry uptake and interest in the subject is helping fuel the IAB's initiative. To continue spreading that message, Rothenberg will serve as host of Video Egg’s 7 Minutes to Reinvent the Internet For Advertising, on May 6. The event, which will be streamed live online, gives 7 great advertising minds—industry leaders who aren’t afraid to speak their minds—7 minutes to express their ideas on how digital media can be refashioned to make the Internet a showcase for creative brand advertising. Rothenberg will be joined by a panel of industry celebrity judges who will give their frank, and possibly very amusing, analysis of the proposed solutions, no matter how unconventional. The panel will include Wenda Harris Millard, new President of Media Link; Quentin George, Chief Digital Officer, Mediabrands; and Collene DeCourcy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA Worldwide. Learn more »

Rothenberg will also be sharing his ideas on the “Ethical Challenges in Marketing” panel at the Better Business Bureau’s Leading the Recovery: Restoring Transparency and Trust in Business on May 12, in New York. He and his fellow panelists will address behavioral marketing, stealth marketing and privacy. Learn more »

IAB Leads Infrastructure Development in Hot Digital Video Market

On April 20, at the sold-out IAB Digital Video Marketplace in New York, the IAB announced the release of the latest initiative in its strategic undertaking to build and fortify the foundational infrastructure that is helping propel the growth of digital video by making the buying and selling processes as efficient as possible. The Video Player–Ad Interface Definition Guidelines (VPAID) outline critical methods for communication between video players and video ads and provides specifications that facilitate the planning, production and implementation of digital video advertising. The guidelines help all stakeholders in the interactive advertising industry—marketers profit from reduced costs of production, creative agencies benefit from the decreased time it takes to execute a campaign and publishers gain from the expansion of the marketplace to more interactive digital advertising. Learn more »

Digital video has indeed had a great year. Its place as one of the most vibrant platforms online was loud and clear at the IAB Digital Marketplace event, when David Doty, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership and Marketing, at the IAB, welcomed the packed house of brand marketers, ad agency executives and media professionals, reminding them that the 2008 IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report showed that digital video advertising spend more than doubled in just one year–totaling $734 million for the year. But the day was about much more than just spending—it was about the creativity needed to forge deep consumer connections and the measurement options that confirm the platform’s vigor. The experts were there to share their insights and experiences. Read more »

IAB MIXX Awards Submissions Open Soon! Get Ready

The IAB MIXX Awards will open submissions by next week. Two new categories—Digital Interactive Out-of-Home Advertising and Branded Content—can increase your chances of being recognized with one of the industry’s most coveted accolades. The MIXX Awards celebrate the innovation and impact in interactive advertising. Start thinking about your submissions today!